Buddha

The historical Buddha Shakyamuni was born around 560 B.C.E. to a royal
family. From early childhood, he was surrounded by wealth and beauty, and
enjoyed a sophisticated education. The texts describe him as tall, strong, and
blue-eyed. When he was 29 years old, he left the palace for the first time and
encountered an old person, a sick person, and a dead person, experiences he had
never known before. He then realized that nothing was permanent and left his
palace to meditate in the mountains and forests of Northern India. After a
6-year search for lasting meaning, he recognized the nature of mind while in
deep meditation and reached enlightenment in what is Bodh Gaya in Northern
India today.

Buddha teaches about ultimate and conditioned existence in a way that makes
Buddhism directly relevant to our daily lives. Understanding this makes the
experience of lasting happiness possible. Buddhism does not proclaim dogmas;
rather, it encourages critical questioning. Using the right meditations, the
intellectual understanding of the teachings becomes a personal experience.
Additional methods solidify what is reached in meditation. The goal of Buddha's
teachings is the full development of the innate potential of body, speech, and
mind. Through his teachings, Buddha is seen as a timeless mirror of mind's
inherent potential.

The Buddha's teachings, which make beings fearless, joyful, and kind, are
the main religion in several East Asian countries. Since the early seventies,
the profound Buddhist view with its vast number of methods has inspired and
fascinated a growing number of people in Western
cultures.

Buddha's Teachings

The Buddha enjoyed unique circumstances for passing on his teachings. Born
into a highly developed culture, he was surrounded by exceedingly gifted
people. After reaching enlightenment, he shared his methods for discovering the
mind for a full 45 years. It is for this reason that his teachings, called the
Dharma, are so vast. The Kanjur, Buddha's own words, consists of 108 volumes
containing 84,000 helpful teachings. Later commentaries on these, the Tenjur,
amount to another 254 equally thick books. This makes Buddha's final evaluation
of his life understandable: "I can die happily. I did not hold one single
teaching in a closed hand. Everything that may benefit you I have already
given." His very last statement sets Buddhism apart from what is otherwise
called religion: "Now, don't believe my words because a Buddha told you, but
examine them well. Be a light onto yourselves." Such statements show the
practical approach of Buddhism which is meant for real life. When people asked
Buddha why and what he taught, he replied: "I teach because you and all beings
seek happiness and try to avoid suffering. I teach "the way
things are."

So, what is Buddhism? "Buddha used the best
description himself. During the 1,500 years the teachings existed in India,
they were called Dharma, and for the last 1,000 years in Tibet, the name was
Cho. Both mean 'the way things are'. Understanding
'the way things are' is the key to every happiness. Buddha himself is both
teacher, example, protector and friend. His help allows beings to avoid
suffering and to enter a state of increasing bliss while also liberating and
enlightening others." - Lama Ole Nydahl

The Buddha gave methods by which full enlightenment may be attained. In a
way that makes Buddhism directly relevant to our lives, he explained what
exists ultimately and what is conditioned. The Buddha showed his students how
to use all experiences in life as steps towards enlightenment, giving teachings
which lead to deep and lasting happiness. He encouraged his students to be
sceptical, inviting them to thoroughly check for themselves whether his
teachings were dogmatic or truly liberating. Buddhist meditation methods can
generate powerful inner change enabling experiences to be integrated directly
towards enriching our lives. These skillful methods allow the levels of
consciousness already reached through meditation to become anchored in a way
that they are never again lost.

Buddha's highest teaching, Vajrayana, involves the
deep transformation of body, speech and mind. It moves on from the level of
concepts and ideas to complete identification with enlightenment and
spontaneous activity. Vajrayana allows us to open to the experience of total
non-separation between subject, object and action. Acting from this level one
does whatever brings growth, meaning and joy.

Karma

Karma is the universal law of cause and effect, meaning, that what we
experience now is a result of our previous actions of body, speech and mind;
and what we will experience in the future is determined by our current actions.
This knowledge naturally encourages us to act in a meaningful way and to help
others as much as we can.

Karma is not a fate. The understanding that each of us is responsible for
our own lives, makes it possible to consciously generate positive impressions,
which brings happiness and helps us to avoid the causes of future suffering.
Positive states of mind may be strengthened effectively through the methods of
the Vajrayana, while negative impressions waiting to mature, can be transformed
into wisdom. It is important to remember that accumulation of positive karma is
instrumental in the beneficial circumstances for the future practice to arise.
In the similar way the purification of negative karma eliminates obstacles to
Dharma practice.